Brotherhood of Betrayal
by The Invisible Sky Wizard
Summary: Dead! I have no ideas for this story in this time of my life. I might never. So Brotherhood of Betrayal has been discontinued. Sorry if you were a fan of it.
1. Chapter 1

Fallout: Brotherhood of Betrayal

Comrades betray each other, and men continue to mess with nature. Humanity is threatened once again, and one man will determine the fate of his entire world. Dim the lights. Turn off the TV, and the radio, and immerse yourself in the story. Look through the eyes of the hero, as he sets out on a dangerous quest, befriends strange allies, goes head-to-head with his own Brothers, and uncovers a disturbing plot that will lead him down a path to save the world, or take control and doom humanity. Welcome, hero. The Brotherhood of Steel wants YOU!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fallout or anything in the games, Fallout 1 and 2, mentioned here. Original characters and names are mine, though.

Out From Vault X: The Brotherhood of Steel!

A dull ache spreads through your head as you regain consciousness. As you push yourself to your feet, you see that you are in a dark room, the only source of light coming from a flickering screen at the end of the room. You feel someone push you from behind and walk forward until you stop just in front of the computer terminal. Blinking through the fuzz of your vision, you can make out the words on the screen.

"War, war never changes. The end of the world occurred pretty much as we predicted. Too many humans, not enough space or resources to go around. The details are trivial and pointless, the reasons, as always, purely human ones. The Earth was nearly wiped clean of life. A great cleansing, an atomic spark struck by human hands, quickly raged out of control. Spears of nuclear fire rained from the skies. Continents were swallowed in flames and fell beneath the boiling oceans. Humanity was nearly extinguished, their spirits becoming part of the background radiation that blanketed the Earth. A quiet darkness fell over the planet, lasting many years. Few survived the devastation. Some had been fortunate enough to reach safety, taking shelter in great underground vaults. When the great darkness passed, these vaults opened, and their inhabitants emerged to begin their lives again."

When you finish reading, a hand reaches forward from behind you, and pressed a button on the terminal keyboard. The words disappear, to be replaced by another passage.

"120 years ago, a great mutant called 'The Master' thought to build himself an army to rule the world. Many flocked to him; yet others had to be forced into compliance. Many of his followers came from the Children of the Cathedral. Humans-turned-mutants were unaware of his intentions, thinking he meant to elevate them to his level, ridding them of negative emotions such as jealousy, pettiness, and hatred, in exchange for their humanity. In what were described as 'big vats full of what looked like acid', men and women were 'dipped' into these vats, the contents within changing them forever. They grew in size and strength, their endurance and stamina improving. Yet their intelligence dropped drastically, and they grew in aggressiveness, many losing their minds. When The Master fell, the vats were destroyed, their contents thought forever gone."

Shocked and amazed, you scroll down, reading the next section of the passage.

"50 or 60 years passed, and something called the FEV virus was brought into existence. A military group called the Enclave, led by the President of the United States, tested this virus at an old military base, on miners. The produced results were the same, and more mutants were created. They had hoped to turn the FEV virus into a super-soldier program, but they failed, the test subjects far too stupid and violent. The program was shut down, but the experiments did not end there. The Enclave began to experiment with the virus, changing it. Upon its completion, the virus would be released from an oil rig, spreading to every inch of the globe, and horribly killing every 'mutant', or non-pure strain of human, in the most brutal and horrifying method. The President, the Enclave, and the virus, were all destroyed as the oil rig went up in a massive explosion. Humanity was saved again."

You scroll down again, bringing the last sections of the passage to the screen, your eyes widening as you read.

"Most of the created Vaults were listed with numbers, and as we have recently found out, the inhabitants underwent experiments, unaware. Some vaults had only men, others, designed to open after just six months, some had not enough food. We've heard the legends of Vault 13, but Vault X, the one vault NOT listed, is the one you came from. Vault X was a secret vault, a training ground instituted upon its creation. The day the vault would open was unknown, but the generations of people inside underwent rigorous training, honing their bodies, minds and skills, not knowing what it was meant for. It was never intended to be opened so late, just a few months ago, but when the door opened and the inhabitants walked out into the world, all able-bodied young and old men and women were immediately drafted into the Brotherhood of Steel. Vault X was the breeding ground for Brotherhood Soldiers.

Of course, many were not expected to make it through the training, drills, and practice missions. 95 of the Initiates died within the first week, the last 5 becoming Brothers. Unfortunately, your comrades of the vault, the other 4, perished not long after, leaving the one percent, you, the only one fit for the life of a soldier. The training program failed on a grand scale, but as you survived, it is believed that only you, a survivor, can solve a problem that has recently arisen. Intelligence reports that a faction of the Brotherhood has found an ancient strain of the FEE virus and has begun their own experiments with it. Unfortunately, this time, it worked: the super-soldier program has succeeded. Half-men, half-mutant, this faction believes that the FEE virus is the future of the Brotherhood, and eventually, the world. The Brotherhood takes a strict, 'No Mutants' policy. Our Brothers have betrayed us. You have been trained in weapon skills, sneaking, lockpicking, field medics, mechanics, and killing when necessary. These will come in handy.

It is your job to make your way to the betrayers' base. This will be a long, dangerous journey, and the people and obstacles you meet along the way will help or hinder you in your quest. Hopefully, you will succeed in your mission. You mission is this: you are to find the rebel base, destroy the FEE virus once and for all, kill the super soldiers created by the virus, and even kill all Brothers, unless you can bring them back to our side. Their, a tough but fair punishment awaits them. You will be given basic armor, a weapon, and supplies to help you in your quest. As you are unaware, this base is currently located in California, near Vault City. The base you must journey to lies to the south of the New California Republic. It is located near The Hub and Junktown. As you make your way down there, you will be able to familiarize yourself with the area. Good luck, Initiate. You are going to need it."

The computer terminal logs off, and the lights come on, temporarily blinding you. You turn around and blink rapidly, trying to clear your vision. You see that you stand at the end of a large room with metal walls. On the wall behind the computer terminal is the Brotherhood insignia. Standing behind you is an elderly man in gleaming silver Power Armor, with his helmet off, a large door behind him. Off to your right in a Brotherhood Scribe, with a small trash bin, a pair of scissors and a razor. To your left, an attractive young woman in Power Armor, standing in front of a small door. A movement from the elderly Paladin catches your attention, and he speaks to you. "All right, Initiate, listen up! My name is General "Sparks" Barnaky." "What's your real name?" "SHUT UP, MAGGOT!" "It's Julia, isn't it? You know, Pretty Woman? I always hated that movie. Hookers don't have hearts of gold. They have hearts of stone and mouths like vacuum cleaners." You receive a sharp smack upside the head. "You have your mission, but that is not all! First off, Brother Sigil here will try to bring that unruly hair of yours into control. Brotherhood Knights do not look like wild men. After this, Brother Vee will issue you your armor. You will suit up, and then you will be given your weapons and supplies. After that, you will speak to me, and then you will begin your mission. Now, report to Brother Sigil."

You turn to Brother Sigil, and walk over to him, giving a sharp salute, and receiving one in return. He pushes you into a seat, and walks behind you. You hear snipping and see your hair fall. Minutes later, he comes around to your front and lifts your chin, using the scissors and then razor to tame the unruly mass of facial hair. When he is finished, he produces a mirror, and you see your face for the first time. Your dark hair has been combed back close to your head and neck, past your shoulders, and you sport a thin goatee. You note that you have a dishonest face, like a con man, or a backstabber, and you find you like it. Your also quite handsome. "I didn't know I was that good-looking", you joke. Un-amused, Sigil pulls you out of the chair and pushes you towards Vee, saluting her and receiving one in return. She regards you skeptically before speaking. "Unfortunately, our money and supplies are low. I cannot issue you a suit of Power Armor. I can give you this." She produces a set of Combat Armor and hands it to you. She opens the door behind her, and you walk in to suit up. You come back out, looking at them through a darkened lens, which is more merciful on your sensitive eyes.

Brother Vee nods, and motions to a table. There you see two guns, two boxes, a knife, a medical doctors bag, and a backpack. "I cannot issue you high-powered guns either. Here you have a Shotgun, a 10mm Sub Machine Gun, two boxes of Shotgun shells and 5mm JHP, and a field Combat Knife. In your backpack, you will find four hundred chips, spend them wisely. You will also find a Lockpick set, ten bottles of Cherry Nuka-Cola. Don't give me that look, I know the taste is bad, but you'll have to deal, soldier. You also have three boxes of noodles, and a wrapped platter of some rotten meat crawling with maggots. It'll keep, and unless you find a restaurant quick, you'll just have to choke it down. There is also a Mechanical Lockpick, a set of pliers, a wrench, a radio, five Frag Grenades, and some Junk. Maybe it will come in handy. In your med kit, you'll find ten Stim-paks, five Super-stims, one Ultra-stim, I hope you won't need it. There is also a scalpel, gauze, three rolls of bandages, two splints,a bottle of disinfectant and a bottle of antiseptic, and a First Aid book if you need to check something. That is all, soldier."

You place the medical bag in the backpack, slide your arms through the straps and hold it comfortably to your back. You then walk back to Brother Sparks, who nods as you approach. "Not bad, not bad", he says. "You just might have a chance. Now, listen closely, because I will not be repeating myself! First off I want you to make your way to Broken Hills. They run caravans around the northern part of California, and one goes right to the NCR, which is where you need to be! Now, if you hurry, you can make it to Broken Hills a day before before the caravan leaves. That way, you will have protection as you make your way down their. On the way, you may encounter a small group of raiders, maybe a second. Stay alert. Initiate John Stone, and welcome to the Brotherhood of Steel. That is all! Dismissed!

Brother Sparks moves aside and points to the door. You walk toward it and it opens, you step into the gleaming elevator. You press the Ground button, and there is a lurch as the elevator slides down. The door opens and you step into a dark room with a round door at the end. You walk towards it and slide it open, sunlight pouring into the room. For the first time in your life, you see the outside world. Eagerly, you step outside, a wide smile alights on your face, and as you take a look around...your smile fades as you realize your standing in a desolate crap-land of dust and desert! You sigh and look down at your Brotherhood-issued Pip Boy 3000, seeing Vault City marked as a day or two above you, and the town of Broken Hills a good five days travel south. Steeling yourself, you set out into the wastes, and your adventure begins.


	2. Chapter 2

Into the Wastes: The Journey to Broken Hills Begins!

How you would like to say the journey has been short and enjoyable. You'd like to ,but the truth is, it's been long and hard. Still a good four days away from Broken Hills, it seems like it has been a month already for you. All around you, you see miles of cracked desert; dead or dying desert weeds; howling winds and blowing dust; dead and petrified trees, and not a damn bit of life anywhere near you. It is just you out here, you and your thoughts. You see the world through a darkened lens. If you removed your helmet, the sun might burn out your eyes. Though that was awhile ago You have been walking for a full day, and now day has turned to night, and though you do not feel tired from all your years of training, you wish something, anything, would happen. Unfortunately for you, you are about to get your wish.

From out in the dust beyond your sight, you can see four or five silhouettes, and they are getting closer and closer. You realize these people are walking towards you. With a jolt of excitement, you think maybe they could be a band of adventurers, or maybe a caravan. Your excitement quickly turns to dismay, however, as you realize it is actually a band of Raiders, weapons in hand and sneers on their faces. Removing your Shotgun from its holster, you stop dead in your tracks, ready to kill. Two of the Raiders are women holding Sharpened Spears. Still two others are men with long hair and black leather jackets. One holds a 10mm SMG, the other with a Desert Eagle. The leader, a tall bald man in blood soaked Leather Armor, holds a Sawed-Off Shotgun. They stop and the leader walks forward. "Drop your belongings and you can leave with your life." His chuckle quickly turns to a gasp of shock and pain as you give him your answer: a round of shotgun shells in the stomach. He drops to the floor as the two men raise their guns and fire. You move quickly and dive behind a pile of rocks, adrenaline rushing through your system.

Remembering Vee's words, you reach into your pack and take out one of the Frag Grenades. Pulling the pin, you wait a few seconds. The gunfire has stopped for some reason. You stand up, pull your arm back, and launch the grenade into the middle of the three Raiders. By the time they realize what you threw and scramble to run, the grenade goes off, engulfing them in a ball of fire that chunks of flesh and blood rains from. You grin and sigh in relief as you know you have killed the group of Raiders. But wait, something is off. You killed four Raiders. Weren't there five? Your eyes go wide and you turn, only to find you are too late as he mohawked young woman thrusts with her spear, shoving the sharpened head into and through your leg. Intense pain races up through your wounded leg and blood pour from the wound. The woman pulls her spear out and you fall to the ground, looking up as she pulls her spear back for a second attack. As the weapon comes forward, you bring your shotgun quickly up. She has no time for an expression as you fire off a second shot, and her head becomes a rain of blood-soaked gore like a hail of death from a world of nightmares.

Cursing yourself, you push yourself into a sitting position, sliding the backpack straps from your arms and setting it to your side as you rest your back against the pile of rocks. You unsnap the top of the pack and open it, reaching in and taking out the small white doctors bag. You open it and look back at your leg. You think something smells odd, and lean forward, nearly pressing your torso flat against your leg, sniffing the wound. It smells infected. There must have been something on that bitch's spear. You reach into the med bag and take out some of the gauze and the bottle of disinfectant, dabbing some on the gauze and rubbing your wound with it on both sides, cleaning the would and wiping away some of the blood. Then you take out a roll of bandages and tightly wrap it around your leg, using the sharp metal bit at the end to dig it into the bandages and hold it closed. Then you recap the bottle and put it back in, closing the bag, placing it in the pack and tossing the gauze away. Gingerly, you get to your feet, wincing, and pick up the backpack, slipping it back on. You sigh, as you realize this is going to greatly hinder your progress. You take up your Shotgun and use it like a cane, getting your bearings, and then continuing on your journey, though at a hobble.

As you continue on, your leg hurting and aching, and leaning heavily on your gun, you realize you haven't had a drink in hours. Stopping, you slide your pack down one arm and open it, taking out a bottle of Nuka-Cola. You open it and take a drink, wincing at the horrible flavor. You drain half the bottle, and recap it, placing it back in the backpack. Conservation is best. You fix your pack, and continue on as night has now turned to day. You have three days left to get to Broken Hills before your caravan leaves, but you are now feeling so tired. Resigning yourself to the fact that there's is a good chance you will be late, you stop in your tracks, remove your back and lay down on the hard ground, keeping your gun close by. You close your eyes, as you drift off to a deep sleep.

A strange beeping awakes you. It starts far in the distance, and grows louder and more insistent as you wake. Pushing yourself into a sitting position, you wince as pain shoots up your leg, and you glance at the wound. It has turned a slight tinge of green, and you can barely stand to move. Your skills in healing injuries are five points less than Crap. You need medical attention. Turning now to your Pip Boy, the source of the beeping, you gasp as it displays you have two days left in your journey to Broken Hills, and you have at least forty-five minutes more than two days to go. Cursing loudly, you use your Shotgun to push yourself into a standing position, quickly determine the direction to go, and set off at a quick hobble.

A day of traveling has passed, and so far nothing interesting has happened. Your leg looks a little worse, the tinge of green darkening. Also, the wound has started to smell a bit like almonds. And you don't even know what an almond is. You have not eaten anything since your journey began. Your stomach is aching and gurgling, and you are beginning to feel weak. But you cannot stop, you have to move on. As you hobble, you reach into your pack and finish off the Nuka-Cola you drank yesterday, staving off dehydration for a little longer, and tossing the empty bottle away. Hey, who's going to say shit? Your in a barren wasteland, you can litter all you want, right?

With only an hour left in your hike to Broken Hills, you find it getting harder and harder to keep your eyes open and your legs moving. You can see the town in the distance, and you know you have made good time. Perhaps, perhaps, you just might make it after all. Spurred by this thought, you quicken your pace, seemingly unaware of the darkness creeping around the edges of your vision, the scuttles off to the side, and what sounds like a faint voice speaking to you. The voice is familiar, and you smile and reach outward for a hug from your father as he seems to appear before you. You notice a faint falling sensation, a voice calling out insistently, and your world goes black as consciousness fades...

...you awaken in a world of lights. You try to sit, but a firm hand pushes on your chest, and a wavering, ancient voice croaks at you to sit. As the blurring in your vision fades, you see gray walls, bright lights and a brown floor. Your almost completely naked, and laying on a table. A very, very old man stands in front of you, in bloody scrubs, his withered face smiling. "Well, good morning, youngster. When that caravan brought you in, I didn't think you'd be waking up." ::He chuckles and turns away, and you raise a hand to your swimming head. "Caravan? I...I must have blacked out. Oh! That must have been the voice I heard." You sigh and relax, noticing the man washing fresh blood from his gloves, and you have new bandages on your leg. You try to check your Pip Boy, but it has been removed. "Hey, doc, answer me something." "Hmm?" "Is today the eleventh?" The old man turns around, and examines your leg before speaking.

"Sorry, but no. It's the 13th. You've been asleep for two whole days."


	3. Chapter 3A

Broken Hills: Ghouls, Calves, Sponge Baths and Butt Love! Part 1

"WHAT?!" Despite the doctors protests, you heave yourself off the table, frantically searching the room for your supplies. "H-hey now, get back on the table, you need to rest!" "Fuck rest you old skinbag, I need to GO! I'm late!" You find your armor and scramble to put it on, when you feel a sharp jab in your neck. You slump to the ground, then a pair of hands, much bigger than a humans, grabs you and sets you on the table. You look up to see a Super Mutant! In scrubs! He turns and lumbers out of the room, and the doctor looks over you, shaking his head. "Your listening skills are lacking, m'boy." You groan, feeling a sudden rush of despair and anger. And suddenly, looking up into that calm old face, you feel a new, horrible urge to reach up and shatter the old bonebag. But as suddenly as it appears, it leaves, and you give a pained sigh.

Mumbling, the doctor turns away. "So, what's your name, youngster?" You almost don't answer, but you decide to anyway, not giving a shit about anything at the moment. "My name, it's Johnny Stone." He chuckles. "John Stone? Sounds like one of them old names from before the vaults." "Well, yes, it is. I came from a vault." "No shit? Well, doesn't that beat all? Welcome to the world of the wastes, Mr. Stone. I'm Doc Holliday. So, what quest are you about today?" You pause, wondering how the old man could know. "I'm sorry, it's classified." "Oh, OK. I understand. For my services, that will be sixteen thousand chips." You manage to sit up slightly, giving the old geezer a shocked look. Then you realize, watching him hitch a shit-eating grin on his face, he's fucking with you! Grumbling, you nod. "Fine then, you old bastard. I'm with the Brotherhood of Steel. Some of our Brothers are...having trouble. They sent me to fix it."

The doctor nods. "The Brotherhood? A fine group." "Hey, old man, how did you know I'm on a quest?" "Oh, we had a young'un here, like you, quite a few years ago. Forty, in fact. I was about seventy. He had that same look, you know. Full of promise and purpose. Saved this town, he did." You snort. "Seventy? Forty years ago? You'd be ancient!" The old bag cackles. "I would, wouldn't I? Well, you know, radiation and such, and, well...you want to know my secret?" You nod, listening intently. "Rat fat." "Huh?" "I eat thick bread fried in rat fat, and drink thirteen gallons of Rot Gut a week. It's my super diet." He cackles, and you disregard his words, chalking him up to be an old loony. "So, why are you so frantic about today being the 13th?" "Because, I needed that caravan to NCR for my...mission. Without it, and it being two days later, I'm seriously screwed now." The doctor nodded, thinking. "You might convince the caravan driver to give you some guards to take you. But it'll cost you about a thousand and five hundred chips." "And where am I going to find that kind of money?"

Doc Holliday grinned, and took the needle from your neck. "Well, ask around! That's the beauty of this place, everyone always has a problem that needs solving! Typhon, the ghoul near the mines, is looking for someone to share the secret of his treasure with. One of our mutants, Reev, needs a bath, and nobody will go near the guy. And the caravan driver needs someone to help artificially inseminate his brahmin." You find yourself disgusted. "You live with mutants and ghouls?!" "Sure, you didn't know? Marcus, a mutant, is the sheriff around here!" You lay back, trying to digest this. The thought of helping freaks repulses you. But you do need that caravan. You sigh. "Alright, I suppose I should get started." "Good! Your well enough to move. Here, take this." He hands you some strange stick. "What is this?", you ask. "I call it a 'crutch'. I invented it. With it, you can walk, and take some of that pressure off your leg.

Thanking the doctor, you clad yourself in your armor, gather your things, and leave, praising whatever gods are listening for inventive old bastards. You quickly pass the mutant in scrubs, and walk outside. You look around, and the town seems nice. People are conversing. You see the power plant for the town, a supply store, a fenced-in area of armed men and women and brahmin, a bar, a jail, and what looks like a hotel with a tough old mutant standing in front of it. Well, you decide to tackle the least disgusting task first. You hobble up the street, and walk into the caravan building, going up to a short, elderly man and a tough-looking older man in leather. You walk up to the elderly. "I hear you need help inseminating a brahmin?" The elderly man looks you over, frowning when he sees your injury. "That ain't gonna get in yer way, is it?" You shake your head, and he appears to think it over. He nods. "Follow me." He shuffles out through the back door, and you hobble after, Chad getting a good look at your hind end.

He leads you up to a couple of brahmin tied to the fence, with some tubes of, you guessed it, brahmin semen sitting on a table. "What do I do?", you ask. "Well, first, your going to shove one arm up the brahmin's hind end, and kinda scoop the crap out." "Why in the hell would I do that?" "No idea, your just supposed to. Then your gonna take these tubes and stick them in the...well, you know, and tip them so the brahmin spunk slides into the cattle. Then your all done." You nod, feeling queasy. "Ok, do you have like, a blanket, or something?" "What for?" "For when my arm goes up it's...ass." "No. Your going to have to take that armor off, and then your going to want a good, loooooong bath afterward..."

...thirty minutes later, your gagging over the edge of a metal tub as your vigorously scrub your arm. When your bath is done, the old man hollers for you to get some pants on and hurry back. Pulling on your pants, you grab up your crutch and hobble back to the backyard. He turns to you. "One of the cattle is giving birth! You have to help deliver the calf, boy." You are confused. "So, what, one of the brahmin is giving birth right after I-" "What are you, some kind of damn idiot?! No, one of or older brahmin is giving birth! Now quit asking retarded questions, and hurry up!" He leads you to the brahmin giving birth, which is laying on its side. You see the two heads of the baby calf sticking out. You kneel down next to the brahmin, and grab hold of the baby. After about thirty minutes of pulling, you manage to get the calf all the way out of the brahmin, which manages to get to its feet, and begin cleaning its baby. The old man smiles at you, and pulls out a small sack, handing it to you. "Here ya go, boy. Five hundred chips. You did alright." You thank the man and leave, placing the sack in your bag. "Cha-ching! Only six hundred more to go."

Once you've put your armor back on, you make your way to the second part of town, recalling the old man's words. An old ghoul named Typhon needs your help. You see a ghoul in the street, and walk over to him, trying not to look. "Excuse me, are you Typhon?" The ghoul is the same as every other non-important one, and shakes his head, rasping at you. "No, I ain't Typhon, smoothskin. Typhon is in the Old Ghouls' Home. That way." He points you in the right direction, and you see a large spore plant...conversing with a ghoul? Thanking this one, you head on over to them, hearing them laughing. You walk up to the ghoul. "Excuse me, are you Typhon?" The old ghoul, missing an ear, an eye, and his upper lip, nods. "That's right, smoothie. I'm Typhon."

"I hear you've been looking for someone to help you", you say. He nods. "That's right. See, I got this old treasure stashed away, and I ain't got a use fer it, so I've decided to give it away." You see the plant snicker, and ignore it. "A treasure, huh?" "Yup. I used to be a runner. A good one, too. Made me a fortune. But I'm old now, and I don't need it. If you can do me a few favors, I'll tell you where it is." "Like what?" "Get me a Cat's Paw magazine, and we'll talk." "And where do I get that?" "A smoothie by the name of Rickie is in the jail. I heard he's got one." "And you want me to go and get it?" He nods. You shrug, and turn, hobbling away from the ghoul and his companion. Unfortunately, you don't hear the plant as he leans in to talk to Typhon. "Typhon, you old bastard, hah hah, you play that joke on every nosy human that comes in here." "Hee hee, I know!"

You hobble back to the first part of town, remembering where the jail was. You walk past the town sheriff, Marcus, a friendly-looking mutant, who nods and smiles at you in greeting. You return the greeting with a wave, and open the doors to the jail, slipping inside. Then your greeted by a very big mutant, holding a very big weapon. "What you want human", he rumbles at you. You hold your ground. "I need to see a prisoner." "No see prisoner. Go now." "Please? I promise I won't be long, I just need to get something from him." The old mutant thinks its over, then nods. "You see prisoner. Not be long. Go soon." You nod and look around. "Rickie?" "Over here, mate!" You see a man with long black hair, a muscular body, and a shine in his eye. You walk over to his cell. "I need a Cat's Paw magazine from you, Rickie." "Naw, mate, I can't give it up." "Please, I need it desperately." He thinks it over, rubbing his chin. "Awright mate, you kin have it. But you gotta do somethin' for Rickie first." He unzips his fly, and you gulp nervously, knowing what's coming.

Five minutes later, you leave the jail with the magazine in hand, a sour taste in your mouth, and you feel sick to your stomach. You make your way back to the Old Ghoul's Home, and hand the magazine over to Typhon, who nods. "Gimme an hour, boy." He shuffles past you into the building, and the plant is ignoring you. You sigh and lean on the wood fence... An hour later, Typhon comes out, smiling. "Boy, that magazine got the old juices flowin'. If'n you can get me a blow-up doll, then I can help you out." "Great. Where do I find one of those?" The ghoul looks to the plant, grins, and then turns back to you. You find you don't like that look in his eye, and he confirms it a few seconds later. "Rickie has one."


	4. Chapter 3B

Broken Hills: Ghouls, Calves, Sponge Baths and Butt Love! Part 2

Well, it could be worse. Ah, hell, what's the matter with you? It can't be worse! You grumble to yourself as you hobble back to the first part of town, trekking the streets back to the town jail. Well, another fluff job, and you have a blow-up doll. And if the old ghoul tries to get you to get something else from Rickie, he can tell you where the treasure is, or you can blow his rotting head off, simple as that. You open the door to the jail, and find a minigun in your face. "Human come back. Human leave now." You sigh. "I'm sorry, I thought I was done. Please, last time, I swear, then I won't be coming back. I need to get something else from Rickie. Last time, really." With a grunt, the mutant prison guard lowers his gun.

You walk up to Rickie's cell, who grins when he sees you. "Back again, eh mate? What you need from Rickie now?" "I heard you have a blow-up doll?" He shakes his head. "This, I won't part with. I need this a lot." "Please, I really, really need it. I'll do...that thing from before again." Rickie shook his head again. "This little treasure ain't worth that." "I'll do anything, please Rickie, I need that doll." He shakes his head, pauses, and thinks it over. Then a grin lights his face. "Awright, I'll give you the blow-up doll. But you gotta do somethin' else this time." He beckons you, and then he whispers in your ear. Your eyes widen, and you whimper. "Oh...oh, goddamn it." Rickie pulls you into the cell, and takes his clothes off. Somewhere, Barry White begins to play...

An hour later, your hobbling out of the jail in a much different way. Your butt aches and you wonder if you'll ever be able to walk normally again. And the most disturbing thing is you kind of liked it. Marcus gives you a knowing grin as you pass and head back to the second part of town. You make your way up to Typhon, and hand him the blow-up doll, who eyes it lustfully. "Give me a few hours, kid." Six hours later, he comes out, smiling. "I'm sure plum-tuckered out. If you could get me a Rot Gut, then we can talk business." "And I suppose Rickie has one?" "I dunno about that, but you could try the bar, hee hee hee." Cursing bastard ghouls, you make your way yet again to the first part of town, and then back with a Rot Gut, handing it to him. "Thanks kid. Now, my memory isn't what it used to be, but I remember putting my treasure somewhere that wasn't likely to be demolished or plowed over." You stare at him. "You sent me running back and forth, for a bout with stomach sickness and a big plug up my butt for that?! I hope you lose your balls and someone steps on them, you rotting old piece of leather."

Grumbling, you make your way back to the first part of town, glancing around. Nothing you see is giving you any ideas. There's a midget scratching his nethers, but that's not interesting. Mmm...Rickie. "Ah! Damn it, what's wrong with me?! Think!" You sit on the town well, thinking of a place that would be unlikely to be demolished or plowed over. You think on it for over five hours, wondering what it could possibly be. You don't even notice the midget as he walks up to you, until he pokes you. You look down at him. "What?" "The treasure is in the well, you dumbass." He walks away. "And don't throw the brick down the well, just haul it up." Scratching you head, you decide to take his advice. You move the boards from the well and peer inside. A brick is jutting out. "Hello, baby!" You reach in and grab it, pulling it out. You see a rope tied to it, and begin to pull it up. The bag it's tied to is freakin' heavy. "Daddy's gonna be rich tonight." You pull the bag up, and slowly open the bag, savoring the moment. You smile widely as you open the bag to reveal...

10,000 bottlecaps. "What the fuck?!" You hear the midget snickering at you. "That goddamned old ghoul! He tricked me!" The midget is roaring with laughter now. Fuming, you walk over to him, swing the bag up, and swipe it into his head, knocking him unconscious, and then pitching him down the well. "Here, go play with the kobolds, you asshole." You almost walk away, when you see something else, something real shiny. You reach down and pick it up. It's a real Bawls bottlecap! Regular caps are worth less than nothing these days, but a Bawls is still worth quite a bit. You shuffle down the street, peering around, and hiding your treasure, making sure nobody lays a hand on your Bawls. You make your way into the bar, and hold it out to the ghoul bartender, who peers at it, then gasps. "Is that a real Bawls bottlecap? Give it here!" He takes it from you, examining it, and rubbing it with his fingers. "Hey, quit fondling my Bawls old man." Grinning, the ghoul takes out a large number of chips and sets them in a bag, handing them to you. "Here. Three hundred chips. Now, go away." Grinning, you leave the bar. "Who knew my Bawls were so valuable?" Enough with the Bawls jokes, you perv. You set the bag in your pack, grinning. Three hundred chips to go. One last thing...oh, yeah. Reev, the mutant, needs a sponge bath. You shudder. Oh well, best stop dawdling. You make your way over to Marcus, who is grinning now. "Need something, stranger?"

"Can you tell me where Reev is?" He nods, and moves aside, letting you inside the hotel. He points you into the first door, and you walk inside. You see a very large, very stupid, and very dirty mutant, sitting naked in the biggest damn tub you've ever seen, waiting. "Little man come to wash Reev?" He must be so stupid, he's unable to comprehend the function of moving a cloth over his nasty, bumpy green skin. Nodding, you pick up a cloth, and stretch your arm forward to wash off the large mutant. At first, it's not so bad. Especially with your gloves. In fact, you seem to find a strange kind of enjoyment from washing the old mutant, which is just disgusting in all ways. And finally, the only part left is his nethers. Reluctantly, you move your hand down, and in horror, you feel something awaken! You look up into Reev's face, trembling, as the big mutant grabs you, a shine in his eyes. "Reev like you." You begin to sob uncontrollably...

You definitely have a problem walking down, and you feel a horrible burning that just won't go away. You wonder if your going to start leaking soon. Life just kind of hates you right now, doesn't it? Well, at least Reev paid you. Five hundred chips, actually. You make your way down to the caravan driver, and you pay him for the caravan ride as he assigns you several guards, and two brahmin and a cart, for your hurt leg. Even so, you don't think you could stand to walk another damn second.

Next morning, as you set yourself in the empty caravan, the brahmin begin to walk. The guards surround the caravan in a formation, and every once in awhile, they give you strange looks. You are glad to leave the town as everybody starts to laugh at you when you do. As you leave Broken Hills, you resolve to never, ever set foot in the town again.

And later, you would find the town of Broken Hills would find a way to remember you for a long time coming. A statue was erected in your honor, with a plaque on the base in big letters for all to see. It read:

John Stone, the man who was loved by man, beast and mutant.


	5. Chapter 4

Journey to New California Republic: The Road to Recovery and Romance!

As the caravan crawls slowly on, and the dust it kicks up forms large clouds behind you, you sigh with boredom and stare up at the sky, laying back in the car half. The burning has gone away, but there's a definite soreness in it's place. Training in the Vault, you never had much time for sex. And you begin to doubt you will ever have it again. For a few hours, it's been nothing but the beating sun, the grunt and flatulence of the brahmin, and for some reason, slightly resentful looks from the guards assigned to your caravan. Taking another bottle of Cherry Nuka-Cola from your pack, you uncap the bottle and take a drink, wincing at the awful flavor. You should have traded them for regular flavors back in Broken Hills. You recap the bottle, and feel a tap on your arm. You turn to see one of the guards, a young woman, staring at you. She is beautiful, definitely one with an attitude. And she's carrying a Combat Shotgun and a 10mm SMG. For some reason, you find this really sexy. She seems to be waiting for you to speak. "Yes?"

"I was wondering, why do we have to take you down to the NCR?", she asks. You frown, and push yourself into a sitting position. "I don't think that's really something you, or any of the others, need to know." "Well, what makes you so special? If we're going to sacrifice our time for you, we should know." "You make a good point, but not good enough. I'm hurt. I can't possibly travel the wastes and defend myself if I meet up with danger. My business is important, but it's my business. Besides, you all are getting paid for this. What does it matter?" She thinks it over, and shrugs, moving back into position. You notice the others were listening in, and they turn their eyes away from you. You guess they all accepted what you said, even though it looks like some still don't agree with you. You lean against the side of the caravan and inspect your leg. It's looking a little better, but you still have a week or two to go before you are completely healed. Not that it matters, the travel to NCR should take about that long. After two day's travel without rest, you notice the guards are getting tired. Checking your Pip Boy, you see that it's a little past evening. You look around, and remove your helmet, the daylight fading enough that your eyes don't hurt. The guards each take a good look at you, the first time they've seen you with your helmet off. "It's getting pretty late. Perhaps we should set up camp." The others all nod and break formation as you pull on the reigns, stopping the brahmin.

One of the guards, an older man, the biggest and burliest man you've ever seen, moves around to the back of the caravan and opens a box, taking out an armful of firewood and moving away from the brahmin, setting it on the ground. Then he takes out a Combat Knife and shears away a good measure of fur from one of the brahmin, taking a lighter from his pocket and using the fur to get a fire going. You're pretty sure the man isn't fully human, judging from his size. As the guards begin to form a circle around the fire, the man takes an armful of brahmin jerky, some beers and meat from the box, and moves over to the fire, setting them near it. Then he moves back to the caravan once again, and lifts you up, wordlessly carrying you over to the others and gently setting you down. Surprised, you look around at the others, as the woman from before hands you a beer. You take it, smiling. "What's this? I thought you guys didn't like me." The woman shrugs. "A few of us are still irritated, but it'd be cruel to leave you by yourself." She grins. "Besides, when we get enough alcohol into you, we hope you'll be loose enough to tell us why we're doing this." You smirk and open the beer, taking a drink. The woman flips a chunk of jerky into the fire. "My name is Rebecca. This is Tank." She motions to the huge man. "This is Snake." She points to a man with greasy black hair and a long scar over his right eye. He has a dishonest look, like a thief or a con man, like you. He smiles and raises a hand with three fingers missing. "This is Stumpy." She motions to a person encased in metal armor. You can't see any part of him not hidden behind his armor, but you see he's missing an arm. You decide not to comment. He gives out a rasping chuckle. "Heya, smoothie." Rebecca motions to another guard, a woman wearing a Combat Leather Jacket and a metal helmet, and carrying a Hunting Rifle. "This is Shine." She raises a hand. "Why are you called Shine?", you ask. She raises her helmet. She has fairly dark skin with a tattoo on her face, and she's completely bald. Her head looks like she actually polishes it. "Oh." She lowers her helmet. "This is MacRae. He's our best fighter." She motions to a bald man with a neatly trimmed black handlebar mustache, and a Big Frigger Power Fist that hums quietly. "And this is Harley. We call him Harlequin." She points to a weedy-looking man with long blonde hair and a goatee, a Laser Pistol and a large scar across his abdomen, which is obvious because he's not wearing a shirt. He gives you a nod. "Why are you called Harlequin?" "Because I'm a joker." You look to Rebecca. She's obviously done with the introductions, but you notice a fond look in her eyes when she introduces Harlequin.

Tank spears the jerky with his knife and pulls it from the fire, blowing on it until the fire dies out. Then he pulls chunks of it apart with his bare hands, handing pieces out. You wince. "Doesn't that hurt?" He shakes his head, and shows you his hands. Calluses cover his palms, and the skin is blackened and dead-looking. You gag slightly. Rebecca leans in. "Tank had an accident with a pack of explosives. He was lucky. He got away with only damaged hands. Before he came to us, he used to work in some mine. He doesn't talk much. Actually, he never talks." You take a bite of the jerky, looking around. The one called Stumpy moves to look at you through the tinted glass of his helmet. 'Hey, smoothie. How was Rickie, eh? Heh heh heh." You frown and ignore the...man? Shine seems to be talking with Snake, who wields a particularly nasty-looking Ripper. MacRae is drowning himself in alcohol, and Harlequin has some book. You look closer, and see the title reads "The Lavender Flower". Rebecca is free, so you turn to her. "Hey, Rebecca." She turns to you. "Please, just Becca." "Ok, Becca. You seem to have a thing for Harlequin." She gags on her beer and lowers her voice, a look of forced innocence on her face. "What?! Wh-what are you talking about? I don't have a thing for that clown! Ridiculous." You smirk, taking a drink of your beer. "Please, your a horrible liar. It's clear on your face." She lowers her drink and glares at you.

"Ok, so maybe I do. What of it?" "Well, does he know?" "Of course not, I haven't told him. How could I?" You snicker. "Are you serious? Your acting like you sixteen or something. Just tell him, it's no big deal." "Seventeen, actually." "Your pretty young. Don't you have a family or something?" She takes a bite of her jerky, and looks away. "I used to. They worked the mine with the mutants, years and years ago after the mine purifier was installed by some guy. But there was an...accident." She shudders, and you look away until she speaks again. "But I have a new family now. These guys, their my family." You nod. "So, what's their stories?" "Well, like I said, Tank used to work a mine. Not in Broken Hills, no, nor in Redding. I'm not sure where. He used to look normal, but according to him, something in the mine changed him, made him bigger and stronger. Some people think it's what made the mutants, but he didn't fully change. He also lost the ability to speak, after awhile. Shine comes from the tribe far to the east. She did something to shame her tribe, she won't say what, and they exiled her. So she's with us now."

"Snake used to live in New Reno as some street thug. He sold Jet for awhile, and gambled a lot. But then he ended up owing too much to the Bishop's. Their leader, some young kid named Len, nearly killed him for it. Instead, he let him go with a warning. His father, John Bishop, might have killed him were he still alive. Instead of paying the debt back, he just ran to Broken Hills. We're not sure how he escaped with his life. We think his scar is tied in with it." She finished off her beer, tossing the bottle away. "Stumpy used to live in Necropolis Renewed, a ghoul city. It was formerly just Necropolis, and for awhile, people thought it was deserted. But then the ghouls just moved back in, and changed the name. He made his way up north, came into town, and never left." "How'd he lose his arm?" "It fell off. The ghouls are rotting, they lost a lot of body parts." She shrugged. "MacRae wandered in a few years ago. His father, Cassidy, used to run with some tribal who destroyed this group called the Enclave, or something. He knocked up some woman and she had MacRae. He won't tell us his real name." "And Harlequin." "Not much to say. He was born in Broken Hills like me, though he used to wander the wastes a lot. One day, he came back with a big gash in his side. He was in bad shape. He said a Deathclaw got him, but we didn't believe him. We think he just got torn up by some raider."

"So, do you plan on telling Harlequin that you like him?" "I can't, I'm just too shy." "You look like a girl who'd be farthest from shy." She shrugs again. "You should tell him. In this world, something could happen at any time." "I don't know." "Life is too uncertain to let things like this go unsaid. We should make the most of our time here while we can." She gives you a strange look, but then nods, smiling, and gets to her feet. "You're right. I should go tell him. Thanks, Stone." She walks over to Harlequin. You gain 2000xp for convincing Rebecca to tell Harley she likes him. Just kidding, settle down. You drain your beer and start on your jerky when Shine sits down next to you. She's removed her helmet, and you get a good look at her face. She is young too, and very pretty, even with the tattoo. She's also a bit on the small tiny side. "Shine overheard you talkin' to Becca, fren. Think you got a way with words. Think she likes you." You turns away, smiling, your face reddening slightly. "Eh heh heh, thanks Shine. It's nothing, really, though-hey!" Shine yanks you to your feet with surprising strength, dragging you into a tent as Becca and Harlequin make their way into their own. This time, you feel much better about it. After your worlds shake, you fall into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, you awake too late to hear the screams...

Some time in the middle of the night, you awaken as something falls hard onto your chest, and in the distance you can hear the sound of screams. Pushing yourself into a sitting position, you pick up the thing that hit you, but then fling it away in disgust. It was an arm. A smelly, rotting arm encased in metal armor. You are wet with blood, and hear the sounds of gunfire and deep roars. You notice the tent has been ripped away. You push yourself to your feet, noticing that your leg is feeling much better by now, and you look around. The fire has died out, and it is too dark to see properly. The only light comes from the bursts of gunfire. Huge, hulking figures crawl along just beyond the range of your vision, and you can hear crying. A deep voice rings out through the night. "Damn it! Snake and Shine are down, and I can't find Stumpy! Becca, where are you?!" "I-I'm here! Stumpy's dead, and they took Harlequin! Where the hell is Stone?!"

Silently, you creep towards the caravan, taking a Frag Grenade, but you can't find your guns anywhere. You move away from the caravan, and trip over something big. You reach out and feel leather and warm blood, and a smooth head. You've tripped over Shine's body. You growl in rage and grab her Rifle, pushing yourself to your feet. You hear Tank groan in pain and hear a heavy thud. Holding the Rifle steady, you look around, looking for the source of the danger. It comes a second later, as a very big Deathclaw lumbers into your vision. Trembling, you raise the gun and try to steady yourself as you take a shot, and miss. The beast turns toward you, and with surprising speed, crawls toward you. You give out a yelp and shoot again, firing a bullet straight into it's brain. The large beast crawls on until it stands before you, reaches out with a large, bloodstained hand with long claws, and falls over, dead. You hear Becca's voice. "Stone, is that you?" "Yeah, stay low! What the hell is out here?" "Deathclaws! Two or three of them, I'm not sure! They killed Stumpy, and I think they killed Shine and Snake!" "Shine's dead, I can't find Snake. Where's Harlequin?" "One of them dragged him away. I'm hurt bad, and I think they got Tank too!" "Alright, stay quiet. I can't find the other one." All is silent as you look around. You can't find any sign of the Deathclaw, until you hear a deep, low roar behind you. Horrified, you turn around, and catch a glimpse of a scaley face with sharp teeth before a swiping claw slams into your chest and send you flying back. You hit the ground, hard, as the wind is knocked from you.

The Deathclaw roars, and slowly lumbers toward you, as if gloating. You pull the pin on the Grenade, and get to your feet, groaning in pain. As the Deathclaw opens it's ugly maw to roar again, you hurl the grenade into it's mouth. It swallows it, and stops, confused. It turns back to you, snarls, then stops and rubs a claw on it's belly. You throw yourself to the ground as the Deathclaw is blown apart in a cloud of fire. Flesh and blood rain down. You crawl along the ground, and find Becca. She grabs hold of you, and you sit with her, holding up the Rifle and waiting. It seems as if nothing else will come, and the two of you remain sitting until morning. There, you will find the most horrible sight you have ever seen in your life.

As the sun rises and there is enough light so you can see properly, you are greeted with horror. Shine's head has been ripped from her body, which is covered in deep claw marks as blood has formed a pool around her. Stumpy had his arm torn out from the socket, but other than that, they appear to have left the rotting ghoul alone as he died from blood loss. Snake and Tank are lying on the ground, both badly wounded but alive. One of the brahmin has been torn to bits, the other alive but clearly scared out of it's mind. But Harlequin... When you finally find the young man's body, hidden behind a desert bush, you turn as you become violently ill. A pile of organs, flesh, blood, bone and goo sits on the ground. The Deathclaws ripped him apart and devoured almost all of him before turning on the others. Becca comes to look, but you turn and push her away from the sight, insisting you need to get her, Tank and Snake to the nearest town. Becca herself has a broken arm. You load Tank and Snake into the back of the caravan, unhook the dead brahmin and calm the other, then you and Becca sit and you urge the brahmin on to the nearest town. Your Pip Boy tells you the closest town is New Reno. Oh, joy. Now the fun begins.


	6. Chapter 5

Entering New Reno: The Biggest Little Cesspool on Earth!

You arrive at New Reno after a few hour's travel. Becka's arm has stopped bleeding and has swelled. Tank has a nasty gash on the side of his head, though he's been conscious for awhile now, but silent, and Snake has a nearly baseball-sized rip in his stomach that's begun to smell nasty. He's still out cold. However, the injury to your leg is better still. Soon, you will heal, maybe faster than expected. You take in the sight of the biggest little cesspool on Earth. Neon signs and trashcan fires bathe the city in a hellish glow. Gunfire and screams can be heard in the distance. Jet dealers and addicts, pimps and prostitutes, and family members in Leather Armor are everywhere. Just ahead of you is the Cat's Paw building. Across from that on the left side of the street, a ruined building. Ahead of that on the same side is another ruined building, and across from that, ahead of the Cat's Paw, is the Desperado, the once-home of the Mordino family, now dispersed with the death of Senor Big Jesus Mordino and the disappearance of Myron, Jet's creator, years ago. The building is dark and crumbling, the lights off. The only life within a few poor-as-dirt Jet addicts sleeping inside.

This is not where you need to be. You urge the caravan up Virgin Street, ignoring the calls of dealers, addicts, pimps and their whores as you go. Soon, you come upon Reno's second street, taking in the sights. Just off to your right is the Jungle Gym, the home of New Reno's boxing matches. The midget boxing manager Stuart Little(yes, that's his real name) is long dead, someone new, unimportant, in his place. To your left, the Golden Globes porn studio, run by the Corsican Brothers, where all the porn in Northern California is filmed. Beyond that on the right side is the Shark Club casino, run by Len Bishop, son of the very late John Bishop, ex-head of the Bishop family. Years ago, after the mysterious pregnancy of John's wife, who could not find the man who slept with her, John had attempted to open his safe, that was trapped and only he knew how to open with the right combination. Or so he thought. The safe had been 'repaired'. And John Bishop died that day. Some time later, his son was born, a strange boy who traveled the wastes more than he spent with his own family. When he came of age, he took control of the Bishop family and led them to victory over the other families and took control of New Reno. You notice all of the Bishop guards and mercs carry energy weapons.

Across from the Shark Club is Salvatore's Bar. The Salvatore's were once feared as the strongest family, led by the ruthless "Mr. Salvatore" and toting Laser Pistols. But when Salvatore suddenly died, around the same time as Big Jesus and John, of suffocation, the Salvatore's suffered for quite some time at the loss of their leader, until, one day, the Bishop's observed them trading with the remaining Enclave. The Bishop's killed the Salvatore's and established trade with the soldier's, using the weapons they received to kill off the other families. Their bar is now like the Desperado, empty, abandoned, and crumbling. Ever since the Bishop's reign of control, New Reno improved. Not a lot, but a little. It's still a shithole. And this is also not where you need to be, but with directions from Becca, you know where you need to go. So, you urge the caravan off to the right, passing the Salvatore's Bar, heading for the eastern part of New Reno.

You reach the easter part of the city. This is where Renesco the 'Rocketman' has his shop, selling drugs to the inhabitants of New Reno, directly ahead of you to the north. To the direct south of you is the church where Father Tully, the 'receovering alcoholic' drunkard preaches. And to the left of that is Eldridges gun store. But it's Renesco you need to see. After the dead of Salvatore and his families' defeat, the Bishop's took control of Renesco, and as well as a drug seller, he was also forced to become a doctor. How fortunate for you, huh? You move down from the caravan, leaning on the Rifle you took. Something tells you to take a Grenade with you, so you do, and make your way inside the building, Renesco glaring irritably at you through his fenced area. You make your way in, and lean against the counter, panting slightly. Your leg still hurts. "What do you want?, he asks. "I've got injured people outside, and we're in need of medical attention." "If you've got the chips, I can help." "How much?" "15000, no haggling." You groan. "15000? I don't have that, and there's no way I can get it!" "Then your going to have to fuck off, hu-hey! What are you doing?!" You point the Hunting Rifle in Renesco's face, who is too afraid to reach for his gun. You spit at him. "I'm sick of dealing with you deserts scumbags, you piece of shit. You'll do it for free or I'll kill you right now. Do not think I am bluffing." You cock the Rifle, waiting for his answer. He opens his mouth to disagree, thinks better of it, then closes his mouth. He takes a few deep breaths, glares at you with a 'please rot and die, please rot and die, please rot and die' look, and says, "Fine."

You take a seat in the "waiting room", which is the area outside of Renesco's fended area, while he takes your fellow adventurers to the "medical room", which is really the back room used for storage, with space cleared for a table and an ancient Auto-Doc. While you wait, a few skinny Jet addicts shuffle by, asking for chips or drugs. You tell them to fuck off. You asshole. You hear a strange whirring sound, and then a blood-curdling scream that makes you jump about a foot. That sounded like Becca. Then clicking, more screaming, and silence. The minutes pass by...you awaken three hours later as your being shook by wrinkles that look angry with you. Then your comprehension catches up and Renesco backs away. Behind him are Becca with her arm missing, Tank has bandages wrapped around his head and Snake has a large patch on his stomach. You irritably thank Renesco and gesture for your fellows to follow you outside. They exit before you do, and just as you reach the door, you hear the click of a gun hammer, and slowly raise your arms. "I don't do work for free. Pay me or I'll rip you a new hole", growls Renesco. Your temper flares. You've had it with these desert monkeys. You reach to your waist and pull off a grenade, flicking the pin. Renesco's eyes follow the grenade, widening. "Stupid move, gramps." You flee towards the door, but Renesco follows you. With perfect balance, you place the rifle on the floor, raise yourself off the ground and kick the old man in the chest with your good leg, than come down, hard, on your bad one. No time to worry about the pain. You make a jump for the door, just as the grenade goes off behind you. Well, so much for Renesco the Rocketman and his shop of death. You get to your feet, helped by a heavily drugged Becca. "Wha' was 'at for?" she asks, slurring her words. "Nothing. Let's get going." You hear Snake's voice. "Hey, you ain't gonna like this, mate. Check the caravan." You look up, and...

The wheels and brahmin have been stolen; so has your backpack. "FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK! WHY DOES LIFE HAVE TO BE SO HARD FOR ME?! SON OF A BITCH!" Son of a bitch, indeed. It almost seems as if some higher power is making life hard for you on purpose. Life's a bitch, huh? Becca wraps her good arm comfortingly around your shoulders. Well, somewhat comfortingly, as she's drooling on you. "Ish awwright, Johnny. We jush have to...to..." Snake finishes the sentence for her. "Find some work." You groan. "Damn it, I'm sick of working. If not for that fuggin' raider cun-' "Continuing this journey will not be easy", Tank says in a deep, slow voice. "But I know just where in Reno we can find quick, easy work and be on our way soon." You stare at Tank. "I thought you were unable to talk. And what's this 'we'? Your still with me, even after the...the attack?" "They said I can't talk. That doesn't mean it's true. And as for the journey...we started this, we might as well finish it. You seem to attract trouble like a magnet." Snake snickers. "You'll need us to keep your ass out of trouble, Stone." "We wish you aww the way, Shtone", slurs Becca. You smile, this must mean you've made some friends. "Ok, then, Tank. Where can we find this work?" "Well..."

Abandoning the caravan, you, Tank, Snake, and Becca being guided by snake, make your way back to Reno's Second Street, stopping outside of the Shark Club. Tank takes a look around. "If you don't mind some dirty work and blood money, the Bishop's are always looking for new blood." He points to the Jungle Gym. "The Gym's new boxing manager, Cissy, is looking for new talent. Don't let the name fool you, she's one mean bitch." He motions to the Golden Globes studio. "If your morals are low enough, and you aren't afraid of catching something, the Corsican brothers might need a new porn star." "Is that really all that's available?" "I'm afraid so. New Reno has really gone downhill. I'm going to the Jungle Gym. I'll see if I can win us some cash. Snake?" "I'm going to the Golden Globes. I've always wanted to fuck for money. I'll take Becca and make sure she's looked after while I work." "No, I'll take Becca", you say with a frown. Tank turns to you. "Stone?" "I'm going to work for the Bishops, I'm afraid. I'll keep an eye on Becca, as well." Snake and Tank nod, and make their way to their new jobs. Sighing, you take Becca by the arm and lead her up to the Shark Club.

Tank 

Tank lumbers into the Jungle Gym. The response he gets from the boxers themselves are sneering indifference and defiance. Unacceptable. Making his way up to the manager, he can tell it's her. She's easily the toughest person there, wearing black leather, with a mile-high green mohawk and a scar over an empty eye socket, and a tangled web of scars on her arms. This one's a fighter, no doubt about it. She looks Tank up and down, folding her arms across her chest. "You want something, big boy, or are you gonna stand there like an idiot." Tank frowns. "I'm here to box", he says. Her look changes, examining Tank with professional interest, appraising. "Yeah? I can always use new meat. You're good with your hands, then? You can fist fight?" Tank nods, and she grins. "You look tough enough. Awright, what's your name, handsome?" "Tank." "Tank? Well, it fits, but I think I might like you to have something with a bit more pop, yeah? What ya got for me?" Tank smirks. "First thing's first. Cut your take down to 25. I want RESPECT, ya got me? And I want a 'slight advantage', if you know what I mean. I'm a tank, like the name says, lady, and people are gonna be comin' in packs to watch me brutalize these pussies you call fighters. Take it or I walk." Surprisingly, she actually laughs. "I like you. You've got balls. Awright, then let's hear the new name." Tank rubs his chin, thinking. "Hammerfist."

She nods. "Unusual, but not awful. People might warm up to it, sounds good. Ok, 'Hammerfist', go to that locker in the back, and you'll find your 'advantage. Here's the key." She gives Tank a key, and he makes his way over to the locket, unlocking it and taking out the gloves inside. The gloves are small and bloodstained, and somebody 'accidentally' slipped in a pair of metal plates. One mans cheating is another mans 'gimmick'. Tank slips the gloves on, and make his way into the ring, getting ready. The announcer gives out a quick ad for Nuka-Cola, then gets ready. He announces Tank's weight and name, then that of his opponent, Tommy the Balls! A legend in New Reno, people scream for him to kill Tank. He smirk as the match begins, and step out calmly to Tommy. He rushes in as Tank raises his arm, he doesn't seem to care, he looks to be going for a kamikaze type thing. What he doesn't expect is for Tank to overextend himself. He hurls out a thick arm to Tommy, striking him square in the nose. Tommy is knocked right the fuck out, falling back and hitting the floor hard. One shot took him right out, broke his nose, even sent a bit of cartilage right into his brain. That might kill him later. The announcer states Hammerfist as the winner, and he steps out to a grinning Cissy.

"God-DAMN if that wasn't the best display of brutality I've ever seen. They'll be cleaning up the blood for hours, and listen to that crowd!" "TANK! TANK! TANK! TANK!" Cissy hands Tank a sack of money. "Three hundred chips! Ready for your next match?" "I'm ready." Tank steps back up into the ring. The announcer gives an ad for Rotgut, then tells everyone Tank's weight and name, then that of his opponent, Evan Holyfeld. The bell rings, and the match begins. Tank steps up to Holyfeld, who raises his arms in defense. A second later, he doubles over from a crushing blow to the stomach. Then Tank raises his arm high, and hauls it down on Holyfeld's head. The fighter's head snaps down, a crack is heard, and he falls, dead. The announcers states Tank as the winner, and he steps out. Cissy hands him a bag. "Five hundred, and another fine performance. They love you. Ready for the next fight? Your going up against The Masticator now." "Ready." Tank steps up in the ring, and the lights dim. The curvy boxing babe walks around with a sign that has the number one on it, swinging her hips. The announcer gives out an ad for Eldridges' gun store, then announces Tank's weight and name, then that of the Masticator's. The bell rings, the match begins, and Tank and his opponent rush in and...

...Tank wakes up hours later, head pounding, Cissy looking down sadly at him. "Well, that was a damn disaster. Oh, well, you did good while it lasted. You might not remember much. That's for the best. Here, two hundred more, just because I like you. See you later, Hammerfist." Tank gets up, takes the money bag, and leaves, groaning.

Snake 

What, you thought I was going to write about Snake being a porn star? You want a sex story, look one up on the internet, you pervert.

Back to John Stone 

You guide Becca up to the Bishop's casino. You notice the bouncers, while dressed in strangely fine suits, are carrying Pulse Rifles that look well-cared for. Stepping inside, the Bishop mercs and guards are wielding Magneto Laser Pistols and Pulse Pistols. Though some are carrying strange energy weapons you have never seen before. These must be Bishop's most trusted men. One such man, wearing Leather Armor died black and green, walks up to you. "'Ey man, what can I do for ya?" Leaning heavily on the Rifle, you grab hold of Becca, who seems intent on wandering off. "I was wondering if your boss has any work that needs to be done? Anything at all, I'm desperate." He nods, and points to a flight of stairs. "Up there, talk to the guards at the second set of stairs." You head on over, looking around. The place is clean, surprisingly, with rich and poor alike pissing away their cash. In fact, some of the wealthier gamblers don't even look like New Reno citizens. Probably why they're losing their money. Even you can see that the tables here are rigged. Oh, well. You head on up the stairs to the second floor, a narrow hallway leading to a second set of stairs guarded by two men holding those strange weapons. To your right is a room with an open door, where an elderly woman sits on her bed with a defeated look in her eye. Down the hall is an older woman, though not as old as the woman in the room. This one is still young enough that her black hair shows no gray, but her face is lined with wrinkles, and you can smell Jet on her. This one is a heavy drug user, and an obvious whore. You pass her with your eyes straight ahead, and one of the guards holds out a hand.

"Can I help you?" You stop and keep a hand on Becca's arm, nodding. "Yes, one of your men downstairs in the casino told me your boss is looking for work." The man nods, and stands aside to let you pass. But when you bring Becca, he stops you again. "You can go up, but not her." "Can't you let us both up? She's been badly hurt, and drugged. I'd like to keep an eye on her." The guard looks her up and down as Becca lets out a strange whoop followed by words you can't understand, then drooling. He nods and steps aside. "Sorry about that, go right on up ahead." You smile and help Becca up the stairs to the third floor. You come up to a large room with two bookshelves, a pool table, and some couches. A door leads to what you think might be another hall. Three guards carry those strange weapons, and their obvious boss lounges on a chair, looking bored. He is a young man, in perhaps his late twenties or early thirties. He has black hair that falls slightly over his eyes and down past his shoulders, shining blue in the light. He has dark brown eyes and tan skin, with an athletic build. He's handsome, but he barely looks anything like the woman downstairs, who you are sure is his sister. He kind of looks like a tribal. He turns his head to see you, then gets to his feet. He's wearing a black leather jacket with blue jeans and a big pair of black boots. He smiles. "Hello. I'm Len Bishop, head of the Bishop family. Welcome to the Shark's Club. Can I help you?"


	7. Chapter 6

Deep in the Heart of New Reno: Murder, Thieves, and Solar Scorchers!

You set Becca down on the couch, and sit next to her, holding on to her upper arm. "Hello, Mr. Bishop." "Please, just Len." "Ok, Len. I heard from one of your guards downstairs that you have some work to be done?" He frowns slightly, and paces around the room. From the way he moves, you can tell he's no stranger to fighting. He even has the look of toughness and survival found in wasteland travelers. "Not opposed to killing, are you?" "Not at all." He nods, and takes a seat, setting his right foot on his left knee. "Here's the thing; this little puke by the name of Chris Wright, one of the last of the Wright family, is trying to recruit Reno Citizens and visitors to Reno. People that can barely hold a gun, much less use one. He's a poser, and the attempt is too little, too late. Frankly, it's an insult. His father, Orville Wright, passed on years ago. Chris is trying to break the Wright code of letting only true family in. He doesn't have the brains or the will to lead a family, or even be in one. I want him dead. Shot, stabbed, beaten to death, poisoned, whatever, just kill him. Wipe off the last stain of filth from Reno. This is the Bishop's time, and Wright in unable to see that. Kill the blind man."

"Hmm...well, I said I'd do it, but the man really hasn't done anything to deserve death." Len raises a brow at you. "Other than insult you, of course. Still..." "If it helps, think of it as wiping one more stain of violence and evil from this world." "Yep, that did it. I'll take the job. But I have one question." "Shoot." "What are those strange weapons your men have?" His frown deepens, and he appears to be thinking about his answer. Finally, he speaks. "Well...first off, when my father owned the Bishop's, before I was born, the men working for my father carried only 9mm Pistols and 10mm SMG's. Pieces of shit. At my eighteenth birthday, my father having been long gone, my mother said it was time to lead our family. She presented me with thisstrange gun, a present from a long-gone friend of the Bishop's. She said it was called the Solar Scorcher. I soon learned it was an energy weapon powered by the light of the sun. It could only be used during the day, but it's power was incredible." He walks around the room. "I wanted my men to carry real guns. So, one day, a scout reported that a few Salvatore's, the one's remaining after Louis Salvatore's death, were walking out into the wastes. I and a few of my men followed them. There, they were met by men in the most incredible armor; big black suits with masks and breathing apparatus. They came in a vertibird, and the Salvatore's came with big crates. I showed myself, and the guns were pointed on me and my men.

"I explained to the armored soldiers, because that's what they were, the remains of the Enclave trying to rebuild, that I was a friend to them. They asked for a show of good faith. I told them that I would kill the Salvatore's there and take their place. I told them only the strongest should establish trade with the Enclave. They agreed. The Salvatore's fought, but I quickly dispatched them with my charged Scorcher. It was night, but I had it charged at day and refrained from firing a single shot until then/ The Salvatore's died, and I spoke with the soldiers. The Salvatore's got their crates of chemicals from a man named Metzger in the Den. This they traded with the Enclave for laser weapons. I toldthem we would be tradingwith them from then on, but they needed to throw in a few something extras. They were angry at first, but they agreed to my request; Pulse Rifles and Pistols and Magneto Laser Pistols for all my men, and Solar Scorchers for my more trusted men. I gave them detailed blueprints of my gun. Later, I had some men go to the Den to speak with Metzger. The Salvatore's tried to interrupt, but the Bishop's are tough and dangerous. They fucked with the wrong men that day. Metzger established trade with us; chemicals in exchange for chips, which we made from idiots gambling in our casino.

"And so, when we next met with the Enclave, they having gave us the time and place, we gave them chemicals given to us by Metzger, and they in turn gave us our weapons, telling us they would transmit the arming sequences when they were up in the air. They did, and we gout what we needed. They had even improved the Scorcher's slightly. When their was no sun to charge them, they took Small Energy Cells, a very large number generously given to us, for free, by the Enclave soldiers. Using these, we swiftly took out the remaining Salvatore's and Mordino's, and for fun, a few Wrights. Then I gave my Scorcher, as well as the other's, to Eldridge, and told him to make mine like theirs and up the wattage for each one. And he did. Each of my mens' Solar Scorchers are slightly stronger than a modified Plasma Rifle. Mine is much stronger. So, that's where we get energy weapons from; weapons that have allowed us to take control of all of New Reno. Eldridge, Renesco, the Cat's Paw, all ours." "Not quite." "What do you mean by that?" "Renesco's dead." Len turns to you, his expression hard. "And how did that happen?" "The old man threatened to kill me for not paying for his services. I couldn't pay, and my friends were in big trouble. They might have died." Len sighs. "Fuck. Well...alright. It was the old man's fault, then. I can't blame you for looking out for your friends. But now Reno is without a doctor." "If I may, I have a suggestion." "Shoot." "Vault City might be interested in a few of these energy weapons you receive. Establish trade with themin exchange for a lot of medical supplies, as well as general knowledge and First Aid books." "Not bad, I like it. Ok, thanks, stranger." "John Stone." "Ok, Stone. Ready to carry out your mission?"

You left Becca in Len's care. He will take care of her while you murder Wright. You leave the Shark's Club and make your way to the west side of New Reno; the Wright mansion. A large building of brick, and stone, there's barely anyone here. The one's you do see are older men and woman and some barely into their teens. All of them look sickly. You make your way into the mansion, ignoring the words from some of the Wrights, until a man in his thirties stops you. "Where are you going?" "Who are you?" "I'm Kyle Wright, son of Keith Wright. Now, again, where are you going?" "I'm here to see Chris." "Nobody gets in to see Chris." You sigh and lift up your Rifle, cocking the weapon. Kyle raises an old, rusty Shotgun in alarm, but it's too late as you bury a bullet deep into his chest. He falls over. You kick down the door. A very old man stands in the room, a man with a sparse white mohawk and faded leather with rusty chains. He has been waiting for you as he is pointing a 9mm at you. The thing is rusted; you suspect it may even be jammed. He speaks out in a hoarse voice. "Who are you coming in here and disturbing the Wrights?" You decide not to say a word, but lift your Rifle again. He tries to shoot you, but you were right; the gun jams; you fire a bullet into Wright's throat; several Wrights come rushing into the room; you escape through the window and shuffle quickly out of the area, your job done.

You find yourself at an area just outside of New Reno, a place with two buildings that are guarded by skeletons and rusted fences. Making a quick search of one of the buildings, you find charred corpses. Making your way into the outside, fenced area, you manage to find two healthy brahmin. Grabbing a conveniently placed rope and tie it around the brahmin's necks, leading them back to New Reno with you. You gain 500 experience for successfully stealing the brahmin from the Stables. Just kidding.

You make your way back to the Shark's Club, and are greeted by a grinning Snake, and Tank, who has a smashed nose and is bleeding from one ear. Both are carrying sacks of money. "Three thousand gold between us", says Tank. You smile and grin, and lead them into the casino. The guards at the stairs leading up to Len stop Tank and Snake, and you go on up alone. Becca is sitting, and looking a little better, talking with a guard. Len looks up. "I killed him, Len." "I know, I heard. Good job. Here." He gives you a sack of money, a gun, and ammo. "A thousand chips, a few Small Energy Cells, and a modified Solar Scorcher. The power of a modified Plasma Rifle in an easy to carry package. Thanks, Stone. It would please me if you would become a member of the Bishop family." "Thanks, but no. I have something important to do before I can commit myself to anything else. I am sorry." "No problem. Just come back when you've completed your quest. Then we'll talk." You thank Len, gather Becca, and leave the Shark's Club with Tank and Snake in tow.

First, you make your way to Eldridges' gun store. He gives you a discount, an order from Len. You already have a good weapon, so you have him bolt a scope onto the Rifle, which you give to Snake. You buy a Flambe Flamer and fuel for Tank, and a Needler and ammo for Becca. The ammo, actual needles, you have Eldridge fill with a multitude of nasty, rotting, smelly components, just so Becca can bend over and totally fuck everyone she shoots. Injury, infection, death. Perfect. You also buy three sets of Leather Armor Mk II for Tank, Snake and Becca, who remove their old clothing and put the armor on. Since Renesco died, you have to scour all of Reno to find supplies, but you succeed; ten Stim-paks each, one Super-stim, three bottles of regular Nuka-Cola each, three pieces of some strange fruit each, and condoms for Snake, who you notice has been scratching a lot. Now you just need the second half of a car.

After asking around, you discover the location of an old chop shop northwest of Reno. You and your friends make their way there. The garage has been long since abandoned, and many old, rusting cars sit around the garage. You search the garage and find some old chainsaws and hacksaws, giving them to Tank and Snake. For hours and hours, the three of you work on an old Highwayman, until finally you cut the car in half. You then set your supplies in the trunk, cut off the top, and make some holes, tying the roped brahmin to the car, and sitting in the backseat. You snap the reigns, and urge the brahmin south. Checking your Pip Boy 3000, you see that the next town south is just where you need to be; the New California Republic. Hopefully, you can make it there without any more snags. Onward to the NCR, and your destiny!


End file.
